Meeting the Family
by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx
Summary: After gaining full custody of Jenni, Aurora takes her home to New Zealand to meet the family.
1. Adoption

**Disclaimer:** No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable to the show. Power Rangers Dino Charge belongs to Saban.

 **Suggestion:** In hopes of understanding the series, please follow the series from the beginning: **Daddy's Little Girl, Prehistoric Seizure, Energem Approval**

* * *

 **Title:** Meeting the Family

 **Summary:** After gaining full custody of Jenni, Aurora takes her home to New Zealand to meet the family.

* * *

It had been three months since Matthew and Anna Jacobs had been sentenced for the physical and sexual abuse of their daughter Jennifer.

Three months since Aurora Randall had taken Jenni Jacobs into her care.

Now Aurora was appealing to the adoption agency for full rights to Jenni. It had been nearly eight months since Jenni's case had passed her desk, and she had taken it upon herself to make sure that the little girl knew that there were people out there that loved her, and in those eight months, Aurora had fallen more and more in love with Jenni, and wanted to be the one who provided a better life for her.

Normally it took an adoption agency a while to determine whether a home was safe for a child, especially one that had gone through everything that Jenni had gone through, but Aurora worked for Social Services and she was an emergency carer, most of the questionnaires and tests they run, like background tests, had been completed already, so they knew exactly what type of person Aurora was.

"Sign here, please," Megan Tritely said, pointing at a dotted line on the sheet of paper.

Aurora scribbled out her signature.

"And here," Megan added, flipping the page and pointing at another dotted line.

Again, Aurora scribbled out her signature.

"And, one more... just here."

Aurora scribbled her signature down for the finale time and then recapped her pen. She sat back and looked expectantly at Megan. "So, does this mean that she's mine now?" she asked.

"You know, normally we'd need the parents to sign their rights away," Megan said, "but given the circumstances the judge has done that for them."

"And it's a closed adoption?" Alexis asked. Aurora had asked her to be present during the signing, just so that she had a witness should anything come of it later down the line. Aurora knew that nothing would come of it, but she felt safer knowing that Alexis was there anyway.

Megan nodded, folding up the adoption papers and filing them back into her folder. "Oh, good gracious, yes," she said. "There's not a chance that we want Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs to be able to find either Aurora or Jenni, if or when they're released."

"Something tells me they won't be released for a very long time," Alexis said. "The judge was determined when he sentenced them."

Aurora nodded numbly. The trial had been hard on both herself and Jenni. She had to testify against Matthew Jacobs and give her testimony of what he had done to her in the hospital room many months ago. She could remember herself shaking from head-to-foot as she stood in the box, trying her hardest to not look at Matthew, but still feeling his steel gaze on her from across the room. It had been hard, but she had managed it.

Obviously the court had wanted Jenni to testify, but being a minor meant that they needed parental permission, but it was her parents she was testifying again. Aurora, being her emergency carer, had stated her views on not letting Jenni in the stand, but they needed Jenni's statement to seal her parents' fates. In the end it was agreed that Jenni would give her statement via a video conference, meaning she would be in a different room with Aurora, telling a video camera what her parents had done to her.

The ordeal had been very difficult and Jenni had cried all the way through. When she had finished, the little girl had buried herself in Aurora's arms and sobbed until she couldn't breathe.

But it had been what the jury needed to convict her parents.

Once the verdict of guilty had been read out loud, Aurora knew that the worst was behind her.

"What do you plan to do first, Mum?" Megan asked.

Aurora smiled at the title. She'd always envisoned herself as one day being a mother; she just never figured it would happen so soon. "I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "I want Jenni to get a fresh start. I've been waiting for this adoption to be pushed through so that I can apply for a passport for her. I think my first stop will be New Zealand."

"Ooh," Megan said, sounding intrigued.

"It'll be nice to go home for a while," Aurora said, nodding. "Jenni can meet her new family, and my parents can get accustom to the idea of being grandparents. They don't know anything about Jenni, so this will be a bit of a shock to them."

"What do you intend on telling them?" Alexis asked.

"Hopefully nothing," Aurora said. "Hopefully they'll realise how much I love her and that'll be reason enough for them."

Megan and Alexis smiled and nodded.

"Well, thank you for your time," Megan said. "I wish you and Jenni good luck for the future. If there is anything you need, don't hesitate to call."

"Thank you," Aurora said, getting to her feet and walking Megan to the door. Alexis followed, waving from over Aurora's head as Megan walked out of the apartment. Aurora closed the door behind her and turned to her best friend.

Alexis smiled and folded her arms. "How soon can you get a passport?" she asked.

"It takes up to three weeks for a passport to come back," Aurora said.

"That gives us plenty of time."

"Time?" Aurora repeated. "Time for what?"

"To let people know," Alexis said. "Seriously, Aurora, you didn't plan on leaving without saying goodbye, did you?"

"Well no, of course not," Aurora said. "But who do I need to say goodbye too? Joanna and Malcolm already know that I am leaving, and Doctor Shaw gave me the all clear to fly, who else is there?"

"Oh, I don't know, how about you're on and off lover?"

Aurora sighed. Alexis had a point. She would have to tell Philip she was leaving, even if their relationship was a little rocky, she still owed him the knowledge of knowing she wasn't going to be around anymore. Maybe he'd have the chance to find someone that he didn't have to sneak around with, someone that his father would approve of.

"I mean, the poor guy has enough on his plate as it is," Alexis said. "It wouldn't be fair on him to find out that you left from a third party. Besides, you've been together now for nearly three years, and we both know that he's madly in love with you, even if there are complications. He deserves to hear it from you."

"Alright, I'll tell him," Aurora said. "But first, I need to apply for Jenni's passport."

* * *

 **Copyrighted ©**

 **Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

 **Chapter updated 30th December, 2015 at 12:00am**


	2. Europe to New Zealand

**Disclaimer:** No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable to the show. Power Rangers Dino Charge belongs to Saban.

* * *

"Did you talk to him?"

"Yes, I did."

"And he just let you leave?" Alexis asked. "He didn't even put up a fight?"

"Nope."

Alexis stared hard at friend. "What happened?" she asked.

"Let's just say his father should be happy now, and leave it at that, OK?" Aurora said.

Alexis frowned. "Did he cheat? Is that why you're upset?" she asked.

"Lex!"

"OK," Alexis said, jumping in surprise.

"Sorry. I just don't want to talk about it, alright?" Aurora asked.

Alexis nodded. "Alright," she said.

There was an awkward pause as Aurora checked to make sure she had everything. Jenni stood at her side, one arm wound around Aurora's left leg, a nervous look on her face. Sitting at Jenni's side was Molly.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Alexis asked.

Aurora nodded. "Yes, it's the best chance I have of giving Jenni the life she deserves," she said.

Alexis smiled and nodded. "I'm going to miss you," she said, holding her arms out for a hug.

Aurora melted into them, breathing in deeply as she hugged her best friend tightly. "If you're ever in New Zealand, look me up," she said, pulling out of the hug.

"Don't think I won't," Alexis said. "Things are going to be weird here without you. I'm going to have to come up with another reason for getting up at 3am."

Aurora chuckled. "At least your sleep won't be disturbed by loud barking," she teased.

"I liked the barking," Alexis said. "At least it assured me that you were alive."

Shaking her head, Aurora looked down at Jenni. "Hey, Jenni, can you say goodbye to Alexis?" she asked.

Jenni looked up, her blueish-green eyes shimmering with nervousness and excitement. She'd never been outside of Europe before, and she was excited to see a new place, but also nervous of everything that was out there.

"Bye," Jenni said, smiling somewhat.

Alexis smiled and crouched down in front of Jenni. She wasn't as close to the little girl as Aurora, and she understood Jenni's nervousness around strangers, but the little girl also knew that Alexis could be trusted. If Aurora trusted them, then why shouldn't she?

"Goodbye, Jenni," Alexis said. "Here, I got this for your flight." She reached into her bag and withdrew a stuffed pink care bear.

Jenni's eyes widened at the sight of it. "For me?" she asked, taking the offered bear and hugging it tightly.

"Yep, for you," Alexis said. "Will you promise to look after it?"

Jenni nodded and walked carefully into Alexis. She wrapped one arm around Alexis' neck and rested the other, which was still clutching the bear, on her shoulder.

Alexis smiled and hugged the little girl. It was the first time that Jenni had shown any physical contact to anyone that wasn't Aurora, and Alexis felt honored. "I'm going to miss you," she said, kissing the little girl's head as they pulled away. "Goodbye, Spence," she added, patting the dog behind the ear.

Straightening up, Alexis returned her attention to Aurora. "You should get going," she said. "Your flight should be coming in soon, and it's a long trip to New Zealand."

"Yeah," Aurora said. She was hesitating again. She did this all the time, especially when it came to leaving places that were her home. She had done it seven years ago when she had first left New Zealand for Europe.

"Just remember that you'll always have a home here," Alexis said. "If you do ever decide to come back."

"I know," Aurora said. "I don't think we ever will, but... it's nice to know. Goodbye, Alexis."

"Goodbye, Aurora."

With their final goodbyes given, Aurora smiled and turned to Jenni. She held her hand out to the little girl and walked her into Heathrow airport. Their flight was coming in at terminal 1, and they had less than five minutes to get there.

Alexis smiled and waved one last time as the two disappeared from view. She dropped her hand, sighed and turned her back on the airport. For her, life was never going to be the same. She just hoped that one day she'd meet Aurora, Jenni and Molly again.

 **~*Meeting the Family*~**

More than a day later, Aurora and Jenni touched down in Auckland, New Zealand. They had been flying for no more than 26 hours, and it was enough to make little Jenni restless. It was late afternoon when they landed, the Auckland airport was crowded with enough people to outfit an entire city on the coast of California, to make sure they didn't get separated; Aurora lifted Jenni into her arms and carried her through the terminal.

"Are we going to see your mum and dad now?" Jenni asked, clutching the care bear that Alexis had given her close.

"Yes," Aurora replied. "First we need to get our stuff, but I called my dad before we left London, he should be here waiting for us."

Jenni nodded and then looked down.

Tilting her head to the side, Aurora smiled and brushed Jenni's hair out of her face. "What is it?" she asked.

"What if they don't like me?" Jenni asked.

"Are you kidding? They're going to love you," Aurora assured her.

Jenni looked hesitant.

Aurora pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Listen, Jenni, I know this is still new to the both of us," she said. "But I promise you, you're safe here. There are people in my life that are going to treat you with the love and respect that you deserve, and my parents are just the tip of the iceberg."

"You have a brother and sister?" Jenni asked.

"Yeah, Chase and Chloe," Aurora replied. "But don't worry; they'll love you no matter what too. We have a motto, a kind of saying, and it's that we will always be there for one another. Chase and Chloe will always be there for you, just as I will."

"Promise?"

"Would I lie to you?"

Jenni shook her head.

"Good. Now, I think our luggage comes out over here," Aurora said, pointing at a conveyor belt. She carried Jenni through the crowds of people and set her down near the luggage. "Do you see your name?" she asked as a set of bags came around to them.

Jenni looked carefully at the assortment of bags and then pointed to a bright purple one. "That one," she said. She smiled as Aurora plucked the backpack from the pile and put it at her feet; she then returned her attention to the pile and finally plucked out her own.

Between them they had three bags - Jenni's backpack, Aurora's duffel and a shoulder purse that Aurora kept her money and phone. It wasn't a lot, but just enough to get themselves started in their new home.

"Okay then," Aurora said, holding her hand out to Jenni again. "Let's go home."

* * *

 **Copyrighted ©**

 **Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

 **Chapter updated 30th December, 2015 at 9:54pm**


	3. Welcome Home

**Disclaimer:** No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable to the show. Power Rangers Dino Charge belongs to Saban.

 **Happy New Year my lovelies. Hope 2016 is better than 2015, and to kick off the new year, here is a new chapter for Aurora and company.**

* * *

With her husband out, Jean Randall was left to tag-team her youngest children - eighteen-year-old Chase and ten-year-old Chloe. The two had just returned home from school and were already fighting over the TV remote. Chase had insisted that they watch what he wanted because he wouldn't be home long and was heading out with his mates, whilst Chloe argued that she needed to watch an animal documentary for a school project.

"Record it, you can watch it later," Chase said, taking the remote and aiming it at the TV.

Chloe jumped in front of the box, her arms crossed over her stomach.

"Chloe, move!" Chase yelled.

"No! This is important," Chloe said. "I need to watch this programme. You can watch your shows later."

"I'm not here later; I'm off with my mates."

Jean sighed and walked into the living room. "Guys, please, we don't need this right now," she said. "Your father's gone to pick Aurora up from the airport, she's going to be exhausted after a long flight and will need her rest, not to mention jetlagged, the last thing she will want is to come home to you pair fighting."

"How long is she going to be?" Chase asked. He was hopeful that he would get to see his sister before his mates arrived.

"Dad's just picked them up from the airport," Jean said. "So, another hour or so. Please, try not to kill each other before then."

Chloe pointed at her brother. "Mum, I _need_ to watch the documentary, it's for school," she said. "But Chase is being a big meanie and won't let me."

"It's one documentary," Chase exclaimed. "I'm sure you could find it on Netflix if you actually looked for it."

"You can watch your shows on Netflix too," Chloe said. "You do every other night."

Jean pinched the bridge of her nose and reached over to snatch the remote away from Chase. "Enough, both of you," she said. "This is exactly what I meant about trying to kill each other. Seriously, guys, I mean it, Aurora's going to be tired, she needs quiet when she comes home. Now, in the meantime, since you can't get along in here, both of you can do your homework in the kitchen."

"What?" Chase and Chloe yelled.

"But we never do homework straight after school," Chase grumbled.

"Today you are," Jean said. She put the remote up out of reach and turned back to her children. "Come on, chop chop, before I implement rule number three - No leaving the house unless homework is finished."

Chase and Chloe grumbled each one glaring at the other, as they grabbed their book bags from the bottom of the stairs and walked into the kitchen. Jean sighed, listening to them mutter between them and set up on the kitchen table. Ever since Aurora had left five years ago, Jean had implemented rules to help corral her youngest two. Chase and Chloe were good kids, but something about Aurora's departure had unfurled them. Sometimes Jean used to think that Aurora leaving was a bad idea, she seemed to have a necessary calm over people, and there were times were Jean needed that ability.

 **~*Meeting the Family*~**

An hour later, Chase and Chloe were finishing up their last pieces of homework, over seen by their mother, when the sound of a car breaking at the front of the house caught their attention. The three occupants looked up as muffled voices could also be heard. They recognised the deeper over the two as their father, Nate.

"She's here," Jean said, setting her tea cup down on the kitchen counter and hurrying to the front door. Chase and Chloe followed her, each one eager to see their older sister again. Even though Aurora had made the promise to come home every Christmas since her leaving, she hadn't been able to make it for the year just gone. Her excuse had been work, and unknown to her family, that had been partly true.

Jean pulled open the front door and was immediately ambushed by a chocolate brown Labrador.

"Molly!" Chase yelled, dropping to his knees and hugging the dog. Even though he knew that Molly was not a family pet, still didn't mean she wasn't treated as one. Molly had a strong bond with each of Aurora's family members, and she had missed seeing them for the last year.

Jean chuckled as Chloe and Chase made a fuss of Spencer, but her attention was captured by her eldest daughter. "Aurora," she said, pulling the adult into a tight hug the minute she stepped into the house. "Oh, I've missed you."

"I missed you too, mum," Aurora said, pulling back.

"What made you want to come home early?" Jean asked. "Not that I'm complaining."

Aurora chuckled and stepped out of her mother's arms. "I was hoping you'd ask that, it makes what I am about to tell you a lot easier," she said.

Jean looked confused.

"There is someone I'd like you to meet."

"Oh?" Jean asked.

Aurora stepped aside to reveal Jenni standing behind her. The young girl stood nervously on the front doorstep, clutching her care bear to her chest. She wrapped one tiny arm around Aurora's leg as she realised that she was now the centre of everyone's attention. Even Chase and Chloe had stopped playing with Molly to take notice.

"Who's that?" Chloe asked.

"Guys', this is Jenni," Aurora said, scooping up the little girl. Jenni wound her tiny arms around Aurora's neck. "She's part of our family now."

"I'm confused," Chase said. "You had a child and didn't tell us?"

Aurora rolled her eyes. "No, idiot, I adopted her," she said. "It's a long and complicated story and I'll tell you all soon, but she's one of us now. So, Mum, Dad," she looked from her mother to her father. "Meet your first grandchild. Jenni," she kissed the top of Jenni's head. "Meet your new family."

Chase and Chloe stood, silent as Jean stared at her daughter. Nate had already had the pleasure of meeting Jenni at the airport and had had the conversation with Aurora on the way home; he knew the basics of Aurora's decision to adopt Jenni.

"Jean, say something," Nate said, nudging his wife. Her silence was causing both Aurora and Jenni to become uncomfortable. Jenni was anxious. Aurora had promised her that her parents would accept her, but her supposed-to-be new grandmother had yet to say anything to her.

Tears appeared in Jenni's eyes as she started to think she wasn't welcome.

Upon seeing the tears, Jean snapped out of her reverie surprise and reached over to wipe one from Jenni's face. The little girl flinched in surprise and Jean pulled back. She eyed Aurora suspiciously, and the look on her daughter's face told her there was more to Jenni than met the eye.

"Hi, Jenni," Jean said, stepping closer to her daughter and granddaughter. "Welcome home."

* * *

 **Copyrighted ©**

 **Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

 **Chapter updated 31 December, 2015 at 8:42pm**


	4. Texts and Explanations

**Disclaimer:** No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable to the show. Power Rangers Dino Charge belongs to Saban.

* * *

Aurora sighed as she lay on her bed, asleep beside her, squeezing her care bear was Jenni. The journey from Europe to New Zealand had really tuckered the child out, and Aurora couldn't blame her for wanting to do nothing but sleep. Aurora remembered the first time she had completed the journey, she had been really tired when she landed in Europe and almost fell asleep in the taxi on her way to her new home.

For the first two years of her life in Europe, Aurora had lived alone, it wasn't until she and Alexis became good friends and started to struggle with their respective landlords, did they decide to share a flat. They were lucky to have hit things off from the first time they had met each other, otherwise living together would've been a struggle. However, Aurora was thankful for Alexis, if it wasn't for her keeping a vigilant eye on her, Aurora didn't know what would've happened to her.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

Casting a glance to her left, Aurora picked up her phone and unlocked the screen to reveal a text message. It was from Philip. Shaking her head, Aurora deleted the message without even reading it, she wasn't in the mood to talk to him at that moment in time. No sooner had she deleted the message, did another one come through.

"Really?" Aurora murmured, opening the second message.

 _Please talk to me._

Aurora sighed and quickly typed out a reply.

 _There's nothing to say. You made your choice and so have I._

She pressed send and the message disappeared, leaving behind a delivery report to confirm it had been sent.

Taking a deep breath, Aurora checked the clock on her phone and then looked down at Jenni. She pressed a tender kiss to the little girl's head and slipped out of bed. It was only 6pm, and even though she felt tired herself, she just couldn't sleep.

Making sure that Jenni was safe and secured, Aurora then headed downstairs to find the rest of her family. Chase had gone out with his mates, Chloe was watching her documentary in the living room, while Jean and Nate sat around the kitchen table, talking amongst themselves.

They looked up as Aurora walked in and opened the fridge.

"You ready to tell us what's up?" Jean asked.

"Sure," Aurora said, taking a carton of milk from the fridge and pouring herself a glass. She put the carton back and sat opposite her parents. "What do you want to know?"

"Why don't you start with Jenni?"

"She's a survivor," Aurora said. "Her case came across my desk eight months ago. It was one of the worst cases of child abuse I had ever seen."

"Why didn't you let someone else take it?" Jean asked.

Aurora shrugged. "If I let everyone take over my cases, Mum, I may as well have found a new job," she replied.

"Maybe social working isn't the right job for you?" Nate suggested.

"I've been thinking that for a while now," Aurora agreed. "I don't know exactly what I am going to do, but I don't think I could handle it if another case like Jenni's came in. Guys, if you had seen her eight months ago, you wouldn't have believed it. She was... like a mouse. Timid and scared, and teeny, tiny little sound would set her off. It was hard getting her to open up... and when she did?"

Jean reached across the table and took Aurora's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"What made you want to adopt her?" Nate asked.

"We're not disregarding your decision," Jean added quickly. "You're old enough to make your own decisions, but we're just curious."

Aurora looked thoughtful. "I don't know," she replied. "I guess I just want to show her that not everyone is like her parents, you know? That you can have a family that does love you... Even if they are adopted," she added, meeting her step-father's eyes. "If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have happened to me and Mum."

Nate smiled and reached for his step-daughters free hand. "Taking you on as my own was never a debate, Aurora," he said. "From the minute I lay eyes on you, I fell in love. You were such a bright and bubbly child, I took pleasure in knowing that you were mine."

"That's what happened with Jenni," Aurora said. "I fell in love. The more time I spent with her, I didn't want to lose her. Her parents..." she paused, sighed and shook her head lightly. "Her parents were cruel. All she knew was beatings and terror. I wanted to show her that not everyone is like that. That there are people out there willing to sacrifice their lives for you. She needed someone who would love her, who will continue to love her."

"Like you?"

Aurora looked up at her mother and nodded slowly. "Like me," she repeated.

Jean and Nate sighed, each holding on to one of Aurora's hands.

"Being a parent isn't easy, you know that, right?" Jean said. "There'll be times where you'll doubt yourself, times where you'll think that you're not cut out for it, but you can't give up after one bad day."

Aurora shrugged. "No family is perfect," she said. "We argue, we fight, we even stop talking to each other at times. But in the end, family is family... we'll always love each other."

"No truer words have been spoken," Jean said, chuckling.

Aurora smiled and looked down at her glass of milk. In her pocket, her phone buzzed, alerting her to a new message. She knew it was Philip's reply, but she was in no hurry to see what he had to say. She had been clear when she had seen him before leaving. He had made his bed, now he had to lay in it.

"So," Aurora said, breaking the silence and changing the subject in one go. "What have I missed around here?"

* * *

 **Copyrighted ©**

 **Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

 **Chapter updated Friday 1sr January, 2016 at 1:42pm**


	5. Home

**Disclaimer:** No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable to the show. Power Rangers Dino Charge belongs to Saban.

* * *

Many weeks after Aurora had moved back home, she and Jenni had settled into a regular routine. It was coming up to the summer holidays, so Aurora hadn't bothered to put Jenni into school, there was no point with only a few weeks left of the school year, Chloe and Chase on the other hand weren't so lucky.

"You'll be here, right, after school?" Chloe asked as Aurora helped her get ready. The young girl was happy to have her older sister back. Chloe was exceptionally close with both of her siblings, and loved the idea of having her eldest sibling back in her life. She had missed Aurora over the seven years she had been away.

Aurora smiled and plaited the last of Chloe's hair. "How many times have you asked me that since I've come back?" she asked.

Chloe smiled into the mirror.

"I promise, Petal, I'll be here."

Chloe's smile grew bigger at the name. Ever since she was a small child, Aurora had always called her 'petal'. The name came from the time that Chloe had visited Aurora in hospital after a bad seizure, and left her a single crimson flower for when she awoke. The petals had withered because it was a flower taken from the park rather than bought at a shop, but Aurora had loved it nonetheless.

"And Jenni?"

"Jenni will be here too," Aurora promised. "We're here to stay."

"Promise?"

Aurora leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Chloe and holding up her pinky finger. "Promise," she said.

Chloe wrapped her own pinky around her sisters and held it fast. Many found the idea of a 'pinky promise' to be childish, but the Randall siblings always made them to each other. It was a ritual that made their bond as siblings extra strong.

"Chloe, you're going to be late!" Jean shouted from downstairs. "You're bus is going to be here any minute."

Chloe sighed and looked up into the mirror. The reflection of her and her sister stared back and smiled again.

Aurora looked into her reflections eyes and then kissed her the side of her sister's head. "Come on," she said. "You don't want to be late."

"I know," Chloe said. "I just wish I didn't have to go. I want to stay home with you and Jenni."

"Tell you what," Aurora said. "How about Jenni and I pick you up from school today? We can go and get ice cream or something and hang out at the park?"

Chloe nodded enthusiastically and jumped from the chair. She hugged her sister tightly around the middle and only broke away when she heard the tooting of a horn outside.

"Chloe, you're bus is here!" Jean shouted again.

"We're coming, mum," Aurora called back, grabbing her sister's backpack from the bed and hurrying her downstairs. She pulled open the front door and handed Chloe the bag, watching her off down the drive and waving as she boarded the school bus and it drove away.

As her sister disappeared, Aurora leaned against the doorframe, watching the sun beat down onto an otherwise deserted street. She had to admit that she missed this. The hustle and bustle of a family home, and in that moment, she knew she had made the right choice in coming home.

Walking in from the living room, Jean stopped beside the door and put her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "You ok, princess?" she asked.

"Just thinking," Aurora replied with a smile. It had been a long time since anyone had called her by her nickname.

"Do I want to know what about?" Jean asked, dropping her hand and heading towards the kitchen. Aurora closed the front door and followed her, sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of froot-loops, was Jenni and Chase.

"Probably not," Aurora said, opening the fridge and taking out a carton of Mango juice.

"Probably not what?" Chase asked through a mouthful of cereal. He dropped his head as a spray of milk escaped his lips and dribbled down his chin. Jenni giggled as Aurora rolled her eyes.

"Chew your food, you're an animal," Aurora said, pouring herself a glass and returning the carton to the fridge before sitting opposite Jenni, "and I was talking to mum, not you."

Chase furrowed his brow at his sister, and then shook his head. "I heard you telling Chloe you'd pick her up from school today," he said.

"Yeah, so?" Aurora asked, lowering her glass back to the table. "What, you want me to pick you up too?"

"No!" Chase said, hotly.

Aurora chuckled.

"But could you drop my skateboarding things off on your way?" Chase asked, sounding hopeful. "Me and some of the guys want to get out there straight away, and it would be easier to go straight from school - you don't mind, do you, mum?"

"As long as you promise to be careful," Jean said. "I don't need another visit from Officer Davidson again."

Aurora stared open-mouth at her younger brother and then scoffed. "Why am I not surprised that you're in trouble?" she asked. "What did you do this time?"

"It was nothing," Chase said.

"It doesn't sound like nothing," Aurora said.

"It was an accident," Chase defended. "One of the boys came off his board and went through the front window of a shop on the high street. We tried to - it's not funny! He could've done serious damage."

"I think the fact that the police were called, Chase, means he did do serious damage," Aurora said. "But that doesn't explain why you were brought home in a squad car."

"The shop owner decided to blame all of us, didn't he," It was more of a statement than a question. "So he called the police on us all. We're banned from skating on the high street."

Aurora shook her head and looked at Jenni. "This is why, when Chase offers to teach you to skateboard, you say no," she said, teasingly.

"Oi, I'm a decent teacher," Chase argued.

"I won't let you corrupt her to your daredevil ways."

"You're just afraid," Chase said, scooping up the last of his cereal and putting into his mouth.

Aurora frowned. "Afraid?" she asked. "About what?"

"Afraid that she might be a bigger daredevil than me," Chase said, checking his watch. He dropped his spoon into his bowl with a clang, jumped to his feet and grabbed his backpack from living room.

There was a toot from outside, and Aurora looked up, from where she sat she had a clear view of the living room window and could see a blue Citroen ds3 pull up outside the house.

"See you later, mum," Chase said, kissing his mother on the cheek. "Bye Aurora, bye Jenni."

"Have a nice day at school," Jean called after him.

Chase rolled his eyes and headed for the front door. "Aurora, don't forget my things," he called. "I'm counting on you."

"Yeah, yeah," Aurora said, distractedly.

The front door closed with a snap, leaving Jean, Aurora and Jenni in silence.

"So," Jean said, breaking the silence. "What's on the agenda for today?"

Aurora shrugged and lifted her glass to her lips again. "I need to call to see if my car has finally been shipped," she said. "They're taking their sweet time in getting it back to me, and the agency needs to see me about Molly - can you believe that in five years I'll need a new dog. It only feels like yesterday that I lost Spencer and got Molly."

"Molly go away?" Jenni asked.

"Hopefully not, sweets," Aurora said. "But after many years even the best dogs have to be retired. Spencer was old, I'd had him since I was your age, and I lost him when I was seventeen - twelve years is a long time for a dog, and Molly isn't getting any younger."

Jenni looked down at the chocolate lab lying under the table. "Can I keep her?" she asked. "When you get a new one?"

Aurora looked considerate and then nodded. "I don't see why not," she replied, reaching across the table to brush a strand of hair from Jenni's face. "Tell you what, why don't we all go in to town?" she asked, looking from Jenni to her mother. "I'll do what I need to do, and then we'll do something fun until 3, sound like a plan?"

Jenni nodded her eyes ablaze with excitement.

"But what are we going to do?" Jean asked.

Aurora shrugged and looked back at Jenni. "What's it going to be, boss?" she asked, making the little girl giggle and smile.

* * *

 **Copyrighted ©**

If anyone is wondering, yes, I have changed Aurora's dog Spencer to Molly. Whilst researching Labradors, I realised that they only have a lifespan of 12-13 years, and it was then, after some help, did I realise that after 10 years of service, a seizure dog is usually considered retired. If Aurora had kept Spencer from age 5 - 24, that dog would've been roughly 19 years old, making him too old to be of service to her.

So, in theory, Spencer died when Aurora was 17 and she received Molly a few weeks later. I have edited the previous stories to coincide with this development.

Anyway, here ends **Meeting the Family**. I have one more mini story before I start writing the actual episodes of Dino Charge.

 **Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

 **Chapter updated Saturday, January 09, 2016 at 3:36pm**


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